How to print prepaid postage on a 4 x 6 inch self-adhesive label using a laser or inkjet printer

how to print postage on a 4 x 6 label with a regular printer

     I took a screen printing class (which was quite fun), and realized I could take the concept of registering a print and adapt it in order to print prepaid postage on a self-adhesive 4 x 6 inch label using a regular printer, either laser or inkjet, not a dedicated thermal printer.  Looks very pleasing, better than paper taped to a box, and less initial outlay than a thermal printer.  Registering a print in screen printing is figuring out where the ink will land, and marking on the work surface where the sheet of paper (or piece of cloth) should be positioned.

To print prepaid postage on a 4 x 6" self-adhesive label with a regular printer

1. select "buy postage" on your platform.  It gives an 8.5 x 11 pdf to print out on ordinary paper and use to mail an order
2. print the pdf
3. lay a blank sheet of paper over top and draw register marks (little corners) where you see the corners of the ink rectangle showing through the paper.  You could use the original copy but then you'd have a buyer's personal information sitting around, a privacy issue.
4. buy a package of individual 4 x 6 self-adhesive labels, Avery 5292, from an office supply store  
5. take the sheet of paper with the marks, lay down some double-stick tape (or tape formed into rings to make it double stick), and stick down a blank self-adhesive 4 x 6 label inside the corners. 
6. put the whole contraption into the manual feed tray, being sure to have it the right way up.  Print the label, selecting manual feed in the menu.  
7. peel the label off the plastic backing and use it on the package.  
8. Leave the plastic backing stuck on the paper, and store the paper for next time.

     That's it.
     At my post office there is a big drop box into which you can put prepaid parcels with domestic addresses, if they fit.  It is meant for people using the automated kiosk.  The clerk said it is fine to put parcels in there that have postage paid at home.
     USPS will also pick up parcels, from your mail box during regular pickup if the weight is under the restrictions, or from your home by appointment.
     I'm not sure how international postage would work since you need to add customs information.
     The clerk said it is fine to put a 4 x 6 label sideways on a box and mail it.  USPS just prefers that the whole label is on the top.
     What if you send a lot of parcels and want cheap labels?

To get 4 x 6" self-adhesive labels cheaply  

1. buy a large package of full sheet, 8.5 x 11 inch shipping labels 
2. got to a print shop with a machine that cuts paper to size  
3. give them a cutting diagram like this that shows how to get three 4 x 6 inch labels per full sheet label, in five cuts marked A, B, C, D, and E.  The shop should charge per cut.

how to cut a full sheet label into three 4 x 6 inch labels

     What if you just a need to send a personal parcel once in a while, and want to know how to print USPS prepaid postage on a 4 x 6" self-adhesive label using a regular printer?

To print USPS prepaid postage on a 4 x 6" self-adhesive label with a regular printer

1. get postage through USPS' Click-N-Ship online service
2. use the same trick above
3. when making your registration marks, ignore the USPS brand name at the top and aim to keep the "electronic rate approved" number at the bottom so the postage fits on the label

The clerk said this placement is fine.
     Both Click-N-Ship lets a seller get postage for USPS flat rate shipping and use a standard flat rate box.  Click-N-Ship does not offer first class postage.  
     You could use 4 x 6 inch labels, a word processor, and this printing trick to make yourself fancy self-adhesive bookplates.

To make fancy self-adhesive bookplates

1. open a new document  
2. insert a table with one row and one column 
3. go to table properties and specify a row height of 6 inches and column width of 4 inches 
4. fill in your rectangle with words, fancy font characters, a photo cropped to 4 x 6", or an image  
5. use the printing trick above to print the bookplate 

     As for how it would affect the book, I'm not sure how the adhesive would hold up over time or whether a label is acid-free for long-term storage.
     But we were talking about postage.

To print a small (1 x 2 5/8 inch) self-adhesive label 

and pay for postage at the post office

1. take an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of Avery labels style 8160, which is covered in small labels.  
2. go into your word processor, select Tools, then the Label function 
3. select "single label, row 1 column 1" for one address 
4. type the address in the field 
5. look for Avery style 8160 to select the right label format 
6. create your document 
7. print your document on the label sheet using manual feed 
8. delete the address in the document  
9. save the blank document for reuse 

     The next time you need to print an address, open the document, type the new address into one of the blank spots (a spot for which you have a corresponding label on the sheet that isn't used yet), then print the sheet using manual feed.  You can use the sheet repeatedly for just one address at a time.  Put your own return address on a full sheet of Avery labels 5267/8167.

     To address a Number 10 paper envelope right on the paper 

without any need for a self-adhesive label  

1. open your word processor
2. select tools, then envelopes 
3. select your size 
4. get the right format for the address by searching for it on the USPS site under zip code search
5. put the address in the big field on the document, then add your return address
6. put the envelope in the manual feed tray with the flap to the left on the underside
7. run the envelope through the printer using manual feed 
8. check to see if the address printed right side up or upside down, and next time be sure to place the envelope in manual feed correctly 

     I print envelopes this way when I mail expense receipts or membership cheques to treasurers of fibre arts guilds.  I think a printed envelope goes through the postal system faster than an envelope with a handwritten address.
     Hope you find this helpful.

Update: I hear that some people use a similar trick to print on PostIt notes.